Tepee the Manatee's Christmas Wish

By Helen Digges Spivey

Tepee’s Christmas Wish is the tale of a little manatee, Tepee, returning with his Mummy and Uncle Ernie and others from a summer in South Florida waters before the winter cold arrives in Florida. It's the follow up book of Tepee the Manatee published by this author that is a glimpse of a life cycle that might be all but gone before you have a chance to read this book to the next generation. .
Manatees are an endangered species and must have the warmth of Florida spring waters or power plant discharges to stay warm enough in cold winters to not suffer pneumonia and other ailments that come from waters with temperatures lower than 72 degrees. Their very lives can depend on this.
An influx of people, development, boats, even ocean liners into South Florida sent many manatees up to the Nature Coast springs in Central Florida, where Tepee’s Mummy was raised.
It’s on this return voyage Tepee learns his Mummy really doesn't like the little Sanctuary provided manatees by the people in charge of saving them while allowing swimmers and divers into the warm springs. She feels they have to stack up like cordwood in the tiny area outside the warm springs and it’s not right.
This story is about how little Tepee searches and finds a place he and his Mummy can stay warm and finds out about the love people share for manatees.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Helen Digges Spivey
• Release date: Oct 10, 2014
• ISBN: 9781310717864

Helen Digges Spivey

A part of Helen Digges Spivey’s life has always been rooted in her love for the Florida she knew and loved as a child, along with her devoted companion, a bird dog named Rex. Through the Boom, Panic and Bust of Florida they learned to cope with whatever came their way within the confines of a loving, oft times humorous, creative family.It helped Helen develop an abiding love for animals, where they live, and the need to sustain their habitat. She was elected Co-Chair of Save the Manatee Club in 2000 and still holds that office, and also currently serves as President of the Florida League of Conservation Voters Education Fund. She is on the Board of the National Greyhound Foundation, and has served on the Crystal River Florida City Council and in the Florida House of Representatives,She sees hope that the tide is turning with people finally being able to use solar power economically, and electric cars (fed by solar power of course) helping us finally wean away from oil, and people understanding the need for recycling everything or refrain from getting it to begin with, and conserving water. Long an advocate for composting toilets, she is hoping that too will someday become an item for everyday use.Helen was married to a career Navy Chief Petty Officer for over 47 years when he passed away in 1997. Together they had four children.Helen has donated half of the proceeds from her eBook, "Tepee the Manatee" to Save the Manatee Club at www.savethemanatee.org

Book preview

Tepee the Manatee’s Christmas Wish

By Helen Digges Spivey

Copyright 2014 Helen Digges Spivey

Smashwords Edition

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Dedicated to all who love, care for and protect manatees.

Chapter 1

Summertime

Wow! I can’t believe summer’s almost over and it’s time to go back to our winter water home. I’ve made a lot of new friends down here. And my mom even made friends with an alligator, a big alligator!

But he wasn’t playful at all. He lets you nudge him --- sort of I like you nudge! but wouldn’t nudge back.

And I got a green-brown algae coat most all over me and it’s covered my scars where I got hit by the three different boats from three different directions. That still hurts when I think of it.